Salva Nos
by SacredxMoon
Summary: Xehanort; a young man found and nursed back to health from the brink of death by Ansem the Wise. A secret trapped within his heart would ultimately doom, not only himself but, all of Radiant Gardens.
1. I: The Office

A new commotion began in Radiant Garden only after things finally began to settle down a couple of years after a mysterious man was found. No other person was capable of bringing the young man back from the brink of death than Ansem the Wise and it was he who created a stir within the world. Not only had he given the man a home to live in but, now he was allowing the man to join his prestigious group of scientists.

"Gentlemen, I would like to welcome the newest addition of our group," Ansem the Wise said as he circled around and finally came to stand at the head of the table with his five apprentices already gathered and seated. With a smile, he sat down while ensuring he did not sit on his dark auburn scarf. He had suffered one too many times from nearly choking himself by sitting on the scarf and had finally learned from his mistakes.

"Don't tell me you actually are giving that guy a job here." Ansem sighed as he looked towards the youngest of the group.

"Ienzo, you should be more open towards him. He has the curiosity which all of you possess and he has learned much from my teachings, perhaps enough that with time he could become like myself. But I wish you would simply welcome him to our small. . . 'family'," Ansem replied only to hear a unanimous disgruntled sigh come from the group before him. It seemed things were not going to go as smoothly as he had hoped.

"The guy just gives me the heebie-jeebies." Giving a shake of his head, Ansem heaved another sigh. He had hoped the three eldest apprentices would have been much more understanding than the others. He looked at the others who nodded slowly, agreeing with the other who had spoken. Braig moved from his slumped over position in his char and placed his hands behind his head, hiding the short pony tail that he had started to grow out. "Just let him go off and do his own thing," Braig continued only to give a slight shrug.

"Well, I would have." The group of apprentices grew silent for a moment as they turned towards the door. "However, I feel that I have a better chance here than anywhere else. Master Ansem is the only one who does not avoid me like the plague in this place. But I feel that I belong here – at the very least to repay my debt to Master Ansem."

"Xehanort, I thought I told you to wait until I called for you?" Ansem asked raising a brow towards the young, nearly white haired man.

"My apologies, sir. But I figured it would be best if I came in to assist you. Besides, I was the one who asked you to allow me to work with you. It would not be fair to allow them to criticize you when you are merely doing me a favor out of the kindness of your heart." Ansem merely shook his head slowly as he leaned back in his chair.

"Like it or not, he's here to stay. That's all I have to say about that matter." A groan of sorts came from the group when Ansem declared his decision on the matter final. "You are dismissed for today. That was all I needed to tell you. Consider this day off - bonding time for you gentlemen, if you will. I'm sure you'll get over your 'heebie-jeebies' if you simply speak with the man." Silently the five apprentices rose from their seats and exited the meeting room, not uttering a single word to the new comer as they left. "Xehanort, why aren't you going?"

"I feel as though I'm not welcomed here-"

"They'll get over it eventually. You're a smart man and that's all that really matters."

"Something tells me not. Master Ansem, I was wondering about something," Xehanort said as he sat down at the foot of the table, putting down what papers he had carried with him on the table. "I know it may seem selfish but, is there a way for…me to remember everything? I want to know what happened. Working living here not knowing a thing makes me feel. . .Helpless."

"I don't know," Ansem answered as if he was giving someone a fatal diagnosis. "Xehanort – that's all you know about yourself besides your age and such. Even your name though you seem so unsure about. It seems to take you a while to respond to it, you understand?" Ansem rubbed his chin as he began to think. "I don't know. Maybe it will come back to you on its own," he mumbled. "Or maybe – it is something you shouldn't remember?"

"Why would –" Xehanort stopped himself. It was a well known fact that if there is some sort of trauma a person suffers through that the mind may completely black out and denies access to the memories haunted by the incident, whatever it may have been. "You may be right."

"Go out have some coffee or something. Don't hole yourself up in here, that's my job after all," Ansem said with his usual chuckle and a wave towards Xehanort. "Try to enjoy your days off: You won't be getting too many of them. Try to get to know some people out there too. Maybe then they won't 'avoid you like the 'plague' as you put it."

"I suppose you are correct, yet again, Master Ansem. Have a good day," Xehanort said quietly rising from his seat.

"Same to you! Don't let the others bring you down so much, Xehanort: else you won't last long here." Xehanort closed the door after Ansem's words and looked down at the papers he had in his hands. They were notes about memory loss and recovery attempts that they had tried and all had failed. What was left? There had to be something, right? As he walked solemnly down the hall, he let the papers fall from his hands and into one of the trash bins by which he passed.

He wrapped his hand around the large door handle only to hesitate on the matter of opening the door. There he stood in the ever silent halls, which made a full grown man feel like a mouse due to how tall they were, with the only twinge of comfort he got from this entire world. Yes, here he felt the most comfortable, relaxed, and calm. Finally, Xehanort pulled the door opened and walked outside, the afternoon sun greeting him with its blazing light only for a shadow to fall over him as an innocent white cloud passed in front of the sun. He moved out onto the paved pathway after the large door let out a creak and a thud as it closed, moving into territory that he felt so uncomfortable traveling through.

The shadows crossed the land, the ground was dotted with spots of light where clouds did not blot out the sun, and left Xehanort walking through the darkness. He jerked his head up and looked down every alleyway he passed on his rather long walk. He could never shake the feeling that there was someone out there, possibly watching him and maybe even plotting against him. Everything covered in shadows only made things so much worse for him. He could just tell something was waiting for him to make the wrong move.

Finally though, the smell of freshly brewed coffee reached his nose and distracted him from the alley had looked down last. He raised his head to look forward only to be blinded by the light of the seemingly badly placed hole in the cloth of clouds and after a moment his eyes adjusted to the change of light and spotted the sign before him reading: 'Radiant Café: Home of the Garden's Best Coffee'. The smell was soothing enough that it reminded him of what Ansem the Wise had instructed him to do: get some coffee. Xehanort gave a quiet sigh and a slight shrug and forced himself into the café.

"I've got those heebie jeebies again."

"Oh be quiet over there. You sound so – so – Unintelligent!"

"Both of you hush! I can't concentrate on reading with you guys being so loud."

"Wrong place to be reading then, Dill Pickle."

"What did you just call me?" Dilan lowered his newspaper, raising a brow towards Braig while Even, with his scowl, returned to stirring his coffee.

"Dill. Pickle," Braig said, drawing out both words with his sly grin worn. "As I was saying," he continued giving a fake sniffle. "Heebie. Jeebies." Again, he drew out the words earning himself a roll of the eyes from the dirty blond next to him.

"Stop torturing people, Braig."

"Stop ruining my fun," he pouted, leaning his head backwards and staring at the ceiling of the café, being careful to avoid looking towards the youth that spoke to him. Ienzo kept the lone eye which was not hidden behind his hair fixed on Braig only for a deep and heavy sigh to come from the large man sitting next to the scrawny boy.

"All of you play nice." All eyes shifted over towards large man who simply lowered his head and put it on the table only for mumblings to be heard coming from him.

"Can't hear ya', Aeleus," Braig called finally letting his head drop down to look towards the other apprentice. After lifting his head up, he spoke again:

"He got black coffee. He's a strange man."

"You do realize that if we don't work with him, Ansem will force us to have group projects or something silly like that," Even said quietly.

"I'm not talking to him. The guy's strange."

"See! I'm not the only one picking up on it," Braig grumbled while he folded his arms. "Even the kid picked up on it," he said nodding his head towards Ienzo who had spoken up only to hear the mumblings of Aeleus begin once more. "What?" Braig asked, rolling his eyes though not turning towards the orange-red haired man.

"Hello." The voice made Braig jump.

"He's coming over here," Aeleus said raising his head up even though he knew he was already too late for giving the group a warning as Xehanort now stood near them.

"Hi," Braig said slowly as he looked at the white haired boy standing near him with a styrofoam cup held in hand. "Actually. Pull up a chair and sit." All four other apprentices raised a brow towards Braig.

"Uh. . . Sure, just give me a minute," Xehanort said slowly, caught off guard by Braig. He placed his cup on the table and wandered off to find a chair.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Be quiet, dill pick-"

"Don't call me that. What are you doing?"

"Might as well lay down ground rules and stuff before tomorrow," Braig replied quietly only to have Xehanort return with the chair and place it to his right. "Nice of you to join us. . . Uh. Wait." Braig put a hand to his head, looking as if he were suffering from a migraine as he attempted to think. "Xehort?"

"Xehanort?" The newcomer offered with a confused expression worn. "My name?"

"That's right! Xehanort! See, I knew it," Braig said only to earn a sigh of disapproval from all at the crowded table. "Anyway, let me be the first to welcome you to our group."

"Thank you," Xehanort replied quickly, though his eyes widened somewhat in confusion. "Nice to finally be able to meet you all and actually talk with you for a change."

"Nothing brings people closer together than looking over their medical records."

"You make no sense, Braig," Dilan grumbled from behind his newspaper.

"Who needs sense?" Braig stopped once there was a harsh clearing of someone's throat, drawing his attention towards the youth of the group once more. "What's up?" He asked looking towards Ienzo figuring what he was about to say was going to bring everyone down a notch or so.

"I feel it's rather important that we let him know something instead of fooling him like you are." Ienzo paused for a moment only to sip his tea. "We don't really like you." There was another pause only for mumbling to come from Aeleus who, once again, had his head back down on the table.

"For crying out loud! Pick your head up!" Even yelled, tired of having to listen to Braig and everyone, including himself, tell him to sit up to speak.

"Way to be heartless."


	2. II: Naida

"In short, be sure to clean everything when you're done." The entire group simply gave a flat stare towards Even as he concluded his speech on avoiding contamination and ensuring the laboratory was cleaned and returned to its original state. Xehanort now knew how hard it was to suppress a yawn, born from pure boredom, for about a half an hour. No longer able to hold back the yawn, he placed a hand over his mouth as it fell open for a moment.

"Glad I wasn't the only one who got bored," Braig grumbled, finally picking his head up from the table. "So, there was your introduction to the man who knows how to ruin the small amount of fun we can try to have in the work place: The party pooper! The one and only – Even." Xehanort nodded slowly, beginning to slightly regret his choice of working under Ansem the Wise. "No matter how much a downer he can be, Even does have a good point in the end. You shouldn't handle the materials in the lab without proper supervision until we decide that you can handle yourself in there – don't want to let a kid loose in a candy shop."

"I expected such treatment," Xehanort said giving another nod. He looked over the group at the table for a moment, studying them and ensuring he knew their names. Braig seemed decent enough, a slight goof at times though apparently could become serious if needed. While the man himself acted like a clown of sorts, he seemed to understand when and where he could. Next to Braig sat Even: the man who seemed to make the atmosphere rather chilly. To Even's left sat Aeleus who barely kept his head up. It seemed the red head disliked speaking overall as his last words had been spoken when Xehanort had first sat with them at the table.

Next to Aeleus sat the short, both temperament and height wise, Ienzo: a boy who would tell anyone how he saw things even if it was purely hurtful as Xehanort had found out first hand. Finally was Dilan who had apparently finished reading his newspaper. He had kept quiet for the most part and seemed to have a rather serious personality, refusing the tolerate subjects that seemed to have nothing to do with work in a way similar to Even though not to the same mad scientist-like manner of the dirty blonde. It was at that moment when Xehanort came to the conclusion he truly knew nothing of these men even after being in their care for so long.

"Well, it's time to go." Xehanort was pulled from his thoughts as Dilan rose from his chair with his folded newspaper in hand. "I've a show to watch tonight. I'll see you lot in the morning."

"Night, Dill Pick-"

"Shut it already. It's old," Dilain grumbled as he walked out of the café.

"So much fun," Braig chuckled only to notice he was alone. He cleared his throat and looked at the remaining apprentices with him. "Well, any advice for the newbie before we all get going? Or are we just going to surprise him with tomorrow and see how he holds up?"

"Just let him start seeing everything first hand. If he gets overwhelmed, then that's that. That's how I was introduced. I don't see why it should be any different."

"He'll mainly be getting a tour tomorrow and an introduction to everything. It doesn't really matter," Even said with a shrug only to look over his shoulder towards one of the clocks on the café. "I suppose I should be taking my leave as well. I need to set up in the morning. Good evening."

"Looks likes all of the serious people are leaving," Braig commented only to hear another chair scooting back on the tile floor.

"Then I suppose I better take my leave as well. You come Aeleus?" Ienzo asked as he pushed the chair back in.

"I suppose."

"What are we having for dinner tonight?"

"Leftovers again." Aeleus rose from his chair, it giving a slight squeak as he did so. "Good night."

"See you bring and early," Ienzo called over his shoulder towards the two who remained at the table only to walk out the door with Aeleus close behind him.

"What's up with those two?" Xehanort finally asked as the door closed behind them.

"Eh, Ienzo doesn't have too cheery of a background. So, when Ansem the Wise ran a charity event, Ienzo wandered through the halls and found his way into the lab and started to play with things."

"What kind of charity event?"

"It was to give the orphans of Radiant Gardens a good dinner for the holidays. Ienzo happened to be one of the ones invited to attend due to him excelling so well in school. The kid managed to get away from the rest of the group and snuck into the laboratory and began to mess around with the stuff there. It wasn't too long before Aeleus found him and just kind of watched the kid before talking to him and making him leave. Aeleus found Ansem later and convinced him to look into letting the kid do an internship."

"And Ansem agreed?" Braig nodded towards Xehanort. "Does he just take anyone in then?"

"It kind of seems like it. I mean, you don't have any experience in the lab, do you? We don't even have grades for you from any schools or anything," Braig said only to note he had apparently hit something in Xehanort, noting the man's eyes wandered back down towards the cup in front of him. "But anyway, the kid lived too far away in his orphanage to walk back and forth everyday for the internship. Aeleus had moved in with a girl but she ended up leaving him and he kept the house, having the extra room, he invited Ienzo to live with him."

"So those two have a kind of family-like relationship?"

"Maybe brothers at most," Braig shrugged and glanced over his shoulder to the few employees who were gathered at the counter with their eyes fixed on the last two in the café. "And I think we've worn out our welcome here, looks like its closing time."

"Already?" Xehanort asked watching Braig get up from his chair rather quickly.

"We've been here all afternoon. They're supposed to close at four and it's five after."

"Oh!" Xehanort leapt to his feet, nearly spilling the rest of the coffee he still had in his tall cup.

"Careful my man, you start slipping up out here – what are you going to do in the lab when you're nervous?"

"You've a point," he sighed in reply as Braig started out of the café. Xehanort followed after the other apprentice. "So what time do we have to be there in the morning?"

"Well, Even's the one setting up and dispersing the papers in the morning, so he has to be there around five in the morning or so. We all have to come in around six thirty or so."

"Alright.-"

"You better be there on time too. We don't like people being late. We tend to make them do the closing and all of the cleaning then too. But considering tomorrow would be your first day, we wouldn't make you do it alone so someone would have to stay with you. That means…"

"An angry coworker."

"Man, you're a sharp one after all."

"Heh. Doesn't take a genius to figure that one out." Xehanort said with a forced laugh while rubbing the back of his head with his free hand. "I'll be there on time, no need to worry about that."

"My advice, make sure you stop for coffee or something along the way so you're awake. Even and the others can be rather…cruel with new people. They'll make sure you can handle the heat within the first few days and if you can't they'll find a way to get you gone."

"Ouch."

"Yeah. Well. I'll see you tomorrow." Braig turned away and gave a quick wave over his shoulder towards Xehanort.

"Yeah. Bye," Xehanort said returning the wave though it was unseen by the other apprentice. "Looks like I've a long day ahead of me tomorrow. Might as well go relax," he sighed. He pivoted on the ball of his foot to begin his rather long walk towards his house though before he had the chance to look ahead of him, Xehanort felt himself hit something and shortly after found himself on the ground.

"Oof!" He looked across and found a woman sitting in front of him: apparently she had been the one he had run into.

"Here, let me help you up!" He scrambled to his feet quickly and helped the woman to her feet.

"I'm so sorry!" Xehanort looked at the books around on the ground and bent over to help her gather them up only to offer them towards her and finally have the chance to look over her. Did…Did he know her? She seemed familiar in a way. Her long hair a gray-blue color and matching eyes made her fair skin seem so much paler. Xehanort stood there for a moment, staring at her, looking down a degree due to her being shorter than he. "I should be more careful," she sighed as she gathered three of her books in her arms. She finally turned back to look towards Xehanort who seemed to be offering her other books while staring towards her. "Uh. . . Thanks."

"I'm sorry!" He said shaking his head somewhat as she took the books. "I just - It's just . . ." Xehanort paused for a moment. "I feel like I know you from somewhere."

"Well. If you have a kid in the elementary school, you just might." Xehanort shook his head towards her. This was going to drive him mad! He knew her! He knew this woman!"

"No. I don't have a child in the school."

"Oh. I guess that'd be true," she said giving a slight laugh. "You're the one who Master Ansem found, aren't you?" Xehanort was taken back for a moment. She knew him?!

"Ye-Yes. I am."

"Hm. I finally get to meet you." It seemed she finally registered the confused expression he wore. "I'm sorry. I'm Naida, a teacher down at the elementary school," she said offering a hand out towards him while holding the books with the other.

"A pleasure to meet you," Xehanort said taking her hand with both of his and giving her hand a gentle shake. "Seems you already know my story." Naida nodded in reply towards him with a slight smile worn.

"Xehanort, wasn't it?" She had caught him off guard again: she knew his name and pronounced it correctly too! He nodded towards her, a smile tugging at his lips.

"At least someone can get it right," he said only for the two of them to laugh together briefly.

"So, you're one of Ansem's new apprentices? That's quiet and accomplishment-"

"Not really. I feel it was out of pity and curiosity he gave me the job."

"He had to have seen something in you to give you the job," Naida reassured as she adjusted the books in her arms. "It's nice to finally meet you and see that you really are doing well. When word got out about you, things did not seem to be leaning in your favor."

"Ansem the Wise is a man of miracles it seems. Well, not just him but the others are as well." There was a slight pause between the two as Naida leaned her head over towards the side to see beyond Xehanort.

"You know, I was on my way to get some coffee. Would you like to join me? I'd like to hear about everything: you're such a mystery to us all."

"I would but there are two issues: I can't talk about something I don't really know about and the café is closed," Xehanort said slowly as he looked over his shoulder towards the café, the lights going out as he did so.

"Oh. I see. I hate staying late at the school because of that," she sighed quietly. "But what do you mean by-"

"I can't talk about things I don't remember. All I can recall is Ansem finding me that day and even that is difficult for me to remember."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Again, another silence seemed to drop down on the two before Xehanort finally had an odd idea.

"I don't know if you like black coffee or not, but," Xehanort removed the plastic top from his coffee cup and offered the half full cup towards her. "If you've a cup I guess that'd be even better." He slightly regretted his actions, figuring he had not thought them through well enough but the feeling of knowing her was something that made it seem not so strange.

"I typically get a chilled coffee," Naida said shaking her head somewhat, still wearing her smile though. "Thanks for the offer. It was really nice of you. You know, people should probably just get to know you better before they start leaping to conclusions." Xehanort sighed quietly and nodded, putting the plastic lid back on the top of his cup. "It was nice to meet you, Xehanort. I look forward to hearing great things about you and maybe having a cup of coffee to talk over."

"Yeah – that sounds nice," he said giving a nod towards her, a soft smile coming to his lips.

"Good night," she said as she walked around him and started down the road which Braig had gone.

"Night," Xehanort called after her quietly, simply staring after her for a while. He finally managed to close his eyes and turn back the way he had intended on going before running into Naida. He rubbed his face with his left hand and shook his head: what on earth was he doing? He took another sip of his coffee and started down the road to his house. However, what seemed to be a usually long walk seemed so much shorter and he arrived at his house in no time.

The moment after he had slid the key into the lock, unlocked the door, and opened it he felt the slight joy he had drain from him as he stared into the dark house. It was coming back to him now that he needed to go to work early in the morning and apparently he already had the public eye on him. Not something he truly wanted already. He could not afford to have a disastrous first day. The pressure was slowly stacking on his shoulders and he had yet to actually work a day of work.

Though he could not remember it, Xehanort was sure this was how one felt the night before starting at a new school. The night before the day seeming to last an eternity and the day looming overhead seemed so much darker than the night before.


	3. III: The Coat

The sharp buzzing of the alarm pulled Xehanort from his sleep after continuing for about five mintes. He tiredly reached over and pressed one of the buttons on the alarm though it seemed to do nothing. With a slight grumble, he continued to mess with the clock until he found the right button and ultimately silenced the alarm. Xehanort left his hand on his alarm clock for a moment only to pull his arm back and rub his face with both hands, finally opening his eyes and staring upwards towards the dark ceiling overhead. Morning had finally come and though the night felt so long, he felt as though he had gotten no sleep. "Damn," he mumbled as he rubbed his face again to try to force himself to wake up more so. He managed to push his sheets off of himself, the blankets were at the foot of his bed as last night seemed to become rather hot though the thermostat had indicated the air conditioner was working fine.

Xehanort forced himself to sit up and swing his legs over the side of bed, letting his feet touch the cold floor though it felt good to him considering he had been rather hot during the night. He rubbed the back of neck, the clammy wet warmth of his neck was rather disturbing to him. He shook his head slowly and rose from the bed and wandered down the hall and towards the bathroom, fetched a towel from the closet as he passed by it and slung it over his shoulder. He finally walked into the bathroom and hung the towel on its holder before catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror: his hair was a total mess and now had faint black rings starting to form under his eyes. "Jeez," Xehanort muttered as he leaned closer to the mirror and looked at his eyes. "This is just pathetic," he sighed looking at his rather red eyes. "I should really get more sleep." He shook his head and started the water for his shower, waiting for it to warm up.

Within a half an hour of climbing out of his bed, Xehanort felt more awake, clean, had fixed his hair, and for the most part was dressed. "Perhaps I'm simply over thinking things," he muttered to himself while running a brush through his hair, afraid to look unkempt. "But look at Dilain and his dreads," he said attempting to convince himself not to worry. "Those things are rather. . . dirty," Xehanort continued, finally pulling himself away from his bathroom mirror. He walked down the hall and into his living room, buttoning his shirt up carefully as he wandered about, missing a table and walking around a lamp before walking into the kitchen. Finished with his shirt, he reached out to turn on his coffee pot though stopped himself: he now had a place where he could go and have some coffee with others, did he not? He withdrew his hand and turned away from the coffee pot with a faint smile worn.

Finally he put on his shoes, some nice boots which apparently all the apprentices wore while working due to the non-marking and non-slip soles on the boots. "I think that's it." He gave another look around his living room, searching for anything that he might need: his wallet was in his pocket, keys in hand, and Ansem had told him that journals and logs would be provided for him. Then that was everything, was it not? Again, Xehanort slipped his hands into his pockets and checked his keys and his wallet. Giving a slight nod of approval, he pulled his hands out and glanced towards his left wrist, expecting to see a watch though found that he was not wearing one. He gave a quiet sigh only to return to his living room, fumbling with his watch and deeming that it was time to go.

The morning air was crisp and fresh and the clouds towards the east were reflecting the sunlight with a metallic orange color while the night sky from the west faded from purple to a rosy pink while the sun was still hidden by the horizon. A slight breeze would blow occasionally and made the morning feel slightly chilly. Xehanort took in a deep breath, enjoying the air as he walked down the street with his hands in his pockets. For some reason this morning felt different to him. Was it the a new wind for a new beginning? Was it a sign of good things to come? He could only hope so. The scent of the morning dew was slowly over powered by the smell of coffee as Xehanort neared Radiant Café. Finding the smell to be somewhat soothing, a soft smile came to his lips as he turned and entered the café, the bell above the door jingling as he entered.

He stood in line for a few moments before finally placing his order of black coffee, the same as yesterday. However as he waited for his order, Xehanort noticed a thin book left on the counter – apparently the last customer had left it.

"Here's your coffee sir." Xehanort looked up from the book and accepted his coffee with a smile and nod before taking it along with the book and going after who had apparently been standing in front of him.

"Excuse me," he called after the woman, her familiar hair making it easy to find her once again: that blue hair with a gray tint to it should have made him realize sooner who it had been standing in line right in front of him. "Naida, was it?" She paused and turned around, coffee cup in one hand and a stack of books in the other arm once again.

"Oh! Xehanort – is that my book?" She asked noticing the rather old book his hand. "Thanks. I thought the load felt lighter. Just slide it on top-" Naida was silenced as Xehanort shook his head and pulled the books from her arms.

"I'll take them to your table for you," he offered tucking the pile of books under his arm for the time being.

"If you insist," Naida said giving a slight shrug though she was quick to pick out the nearest table for him to set the books down. "Thanks," she said as Xehanort placed the books on the table only for him to give a nod in reply. "Why don't you sit for a little bit? Or do you have to go?"

"Well," Xehanort paused and looked down at the watch on his hand, only now noticing he had put it on backwards so the six was at the top of the wrist instead of the twelve. He shook his head, sighing at him messing up putting on a simple watch.

"You don't?"

"Oh – No. I do, I just…" Xehanort sighed and finally held out his arm for her to see the watch. "Can't seem to get a watch on correctly, anymore," he said forcing a chuckle, feeling his face becoming flush out of embarrassment while Naida laughed quietly at the upside down watch.

"Well, sit down for a little bit, and fix your watch while you're here?" She asked tapping the table lightly with her hand. Finally Xehanort sat down in the chair and set to fixing his watch. "So, excited?"

"About?"

"Your first day as an apprentice, what else?"

"Oh. Well, I didn't know what you meant," Xehanort sighed only to have to take a moment and think over the matter of if he was excited or not. "Not so much excited as I am nervous," he admitted. "I don't know what those five have in mind for the day, but I get the feeling that I'll be facing certain hell if they have their way."

"You'll be fine."

"Says you," He said quietly. "But let's face it, Braig brought up a great point yesterday: I don't have any training in the science field and even if I did I certainly don't remember it."

"I already told you, didn't I? If he picked you that's because he sees something in you. Ansem knows what he's doing, even if he is such a kid at heart."

"What do you mean?"

"That man loves his ice cream and his games, at least that how he seems to be. He always has his sea salt ice cream when he's walking the streets," Naida laughed. "There have been occasions where he has come down to the school to speak with the children and it never fails that when he arrives, there will be a wooden popsicle stick in his hand."

"Oh wow," Xehanort muttered, slightly taken back by the new image of Ansem the Wise which was forming in his mind. He managed to shake the image after a moment and decided it was best to change the topic. "You said you were a teacher, didn't you?"

"Yes," she replied with a nod. "I teach, or at least try, the fifth graders a natural science class."

"And what does that include really?"

"Nothing too complicated. Basically water cycle, basics for photosynthesis without delving too deep into the chemistry of it – the basic stuff about our world."

"I never would have thought you to be a science teacher," he commented as leaned forward on the table, placed an elbow on the table and leaned his head on the back of his hand.

"Really? And why not?" She asked, mimicking him while giving a smirk. "It's because I don't have glasses, isn't it? Or the lab coat? It's the lab coat."

"No – it was the books. You had so many of them that I figured you were teaching them how to read better."

"They're all books that I borrowed from Master Ansem's library. Since the city doesn't have its own public library established yet, I have to go to Master Ansem's library at the beginning of every year. All of them so the kids can do their research and so some fun projects and games."

"I see."

"Well, I actually better get going before it gets too late. I need to finish setting up the classroom still and I've only a couple hours to do that."

"School starts soon?"

"Today actually." Naida rose and gathered her books up in her arms again only to pause. "It was nice talking to you again. We should do this more often."

"Yeah. It's really good to have someone to sit and talk with."

"Oh. I don't know if you know much about this place, but you may want to start getting some heavier clothing. Near the end of fall, it gets rather chilly." Xehanort nodded towards her:

"Thanks for the advice, Naida." He smiled softly as she gave him a final wave and started out of the café. When she left, he glanced down towards his watch only to have to take a double take: he needed to hurry down towards the castle. "Crap!"

- - -

"He's got two minutes."

"What a shame to late for the first day," Ienzo sighed quietly after Dilan announced the remaining time. "Well, he'll learn the hard way now, won't he?"

"If he sets us behind by being late, then he won't hear the end of it! I'll make sure he starts coming into work earlier if I need to in order to get him here at normal time."

"Oh calm down, Even," Braig sighed as he slouched in his chair, rocking back and forth in it, causing it to squeak ever so quietly as he did so. "He'll be here."

"And what makes you so sure of that?!"

"Just a feelin' that I have. Just…Listen." Silence finally overcame the room and the muffled thud of feet hitting the ground quickly could be heard. "Poor guy's running to get here on time."

"Serves him right! Running the risk of causing us to start lat-"

"I'm sorry I'm late!" Xehanort called as he burst through the doors of the office area.

"Hmph. You better be-"

"He had half a minute left," Dilan said, stopping Even short. "Congratulations, you arrived on time. Your first of many tasks for the day has been completed."

"Time to get to the real stuff then," Ienzo muttered. "To the library we go." Without another word, Ienzo, followed by the other four, exited the office and left Xehanort in confusion. Finally, Xehanort turned and followed after the others and they filed into a large two story room with bookshelves lining every wall and jutting out and yet every single shelf had books packed on very tightly except the few gaps left which were obviously from someone removing a book.

"This place is massive," Xehanort whispered in awe as he looked at the library, turning around as he walked along, completely stunned by the collection of books he had just been led to by the others who seemed to be unfazed by room and that which it contained.

"Alright, we've got to get our research done before we even begin," Dilan called over his shoulder as he cleared off a few books from the large table in the library. The group slowly split up in different directions except Xehanort who was left rather confused about the whole situation until Braig pulled him along.

"So here's the issue, buddy – we're attempting to investigate something that's been bothering Ansem for a good long while: it's really hard to get flowers to grow in Radiant Gardens, within the city is fairly easy because we can process the soil but beyond the city the land's pretty barren. There aren't any plants out there."

"But what does that have to do with library?"

"We need to do some background research so we can start on the experiments. We need to make sure we know the composition of the soil beyond here and the soil which we use to grow plants, identify the differences between the soils and attempt to understand what it is which prevents the plants from growing naturally without our care."

"Then why are you so spread out if you need to just figure out this one thing?"

"My man, think about this. We need to know all of the common species of the plants of Radiant Gardens in order to determine the best one to use in our experiments. Then we need to make sure we understand the soils, and the components to the best of our abilities and. . .All that stuff. So, we've fanned out to looking at our plants sections throughout the library and all that jazz. Just calm down, stop drooling over the size of the place, and just focus on the thing we got to do."

"Alright.-"

"Good."

"But-"

"But what?!"

"I don't even know the layout of this place!" Braig sighed and shook his head at Xehanort.

"Alright. Consider this your first and last tour of this place. You better get to know this place well enough quickly. If not, you're going to be in a world of trouble down the road." Braig waved his hand to tell Xehanort to follow.

After a about an hour spent in the library, the group had gathered at the table with one chair having a stack of paper and a couple of pens. However, Xehanort was quick to notice that the others avoided the chair and ultimately left it for him. He wandered towards the chair without much of a choice only to hear Aeleus muttering quietly as he passed by:

"I hope I can read it at least." What came afterwards, Xehanort had half expected. For the next hour or so, a discussion of their findings from their research began and he was to write down what the group declared to be important facts which would be used in the experiments, such as properties of the soil which was naturally occurring beyond the walls of Radiant Gardens and a list of plants common to Radiant Gardens which were grown inside the city walls. It was only in the first thirty minutes when Xehanort felt the joints in his hand beginning to lock from holding the pen for too long and his wrist beginning to cramp as he was not used to writing for such an extended period of time.

"I think that's enough to begin," Ienzo finally said, rising from his seat. "Xehanort, go give our findings to Master Ansem so we can get his approval to begin. When that's done, bring us back the papers so we can create a list of the needed materials." Xehanort merely nodded and forced himself to release the pen only to rub his hand carefully. Noticing the multiple sets of eyes on him, he figured it was best to get moving before the group became impatient. He gathered up his papers and hurried out of the library, barely catching the words of Dilan before the door closed:

"Let's see how long this takes."

Xehanort found himself walking the halls of the massive castle in a rather confused manner. He was unfamiliar with the route he was taking though and ultimately passed by the hall leading to Ansem's office more than a couple of times. He eventually wandered down the hall which only had a lone door decorating it at the very end. Only after he opened the door did Xehanort find out he had at last gone to the correct place as Ansem was seated in his large chair with his head on the desk.

"M-Master Ansem," Xehanort called quietly though Ansem the Wise did not budge. "Master Ansem," he called again, louder this time and apparently loud enough to wake Ansem from his nap. Ansem raised his head rather quickly, blinking his eyes rapidly, and finally looking over towards the door and spot Xehanort with papers in hand.

"Ah! Xehanort! What can I help you with?"

"A nap would be nice," Xehanort sighed, earning a drowsy chuckle from Ansem. "But no, we finished the research in order to begin our work. They told me it needed to be approved by you before we could compose our list of materials and such."

"Well then, let me see your research," Ansem said, holding out his hand. It took him a while to read over the papers, occasionally he would nod in agreement with what was written down and other times bob his head side to side as if debating on if it were an important matter to focus on during their experiment. "It seems that maybe we'll be onto something. I'll set the budget at ten thousand. That should be enough for multiple trial and errors, don't you think?"

"Well, it sounds like it should be. I don't really know though. I don't know the cost of the things we're going to need."

"It should be plenty. If not, then we'll simply have to delay it until we can afford to spend more funding on it." Ansem signed the papers and included budget written at the bottom of it. "The only reason I'm really putting this much forward to this is because I think that'd do the world a great deal of good. Could you imagine walking in a field of flowers with friends or family, loved ones, instead of what we have beyond the city limits?" Xehanort tilted his head to the side and finally gave a nod towards Ansem. "Well then, off you go. Have some fun with the others."

"Master Ansem?"

"Yes?"

"If you're tired, I think a bed would be better than a desk."

"So true," Ansem sighed as Xehanort left the office, his papers in hand once again.

After Xehanort returned to the library, the group set to work establishing a list of materials though Xehanort found his mind wandering towards what Ansem the Wise had said. Walking through a field of flowers with friends, family, or loved ones. Why did it keep coming back to his mind? It was becoming rather distracting. Maybe some coffee would help him? The thought of coffee and the café ultimately led him back to thinking about Naida.

"Xehanort!"

"What?!" Xehanort jerked his head around, hearing his name being called.

"We're leaving," Braig called from the doorway. "You coming?"

"Uh-Yeah," Xehanort said as he rose from his chair.

"Off in dream land there, buddy?"

"I guess you could say something like that," he admitted.

"Let me do the friendly thing and give you some advice here."

"Advice on? Did I mess up or something earlier?"

"You're going to have to pick in the end. Your job? Or her?"

"Pardon?!" Braig gave a smile and shook his head somewhat.

"Your job or her. With this job, it's basically impossible to manage a relationship. You'll learn eventually."

"Ho-How did you…?"

"Know? Well, it was rather obvious at the café today, don't you think?" Again, Xehanort felt his face become flush: was it really that obvious.

"Just-"

"I don't plan on telling anyone. Don't worry," Braig reassured. "Now come on, we've got some shopping to do!"

After gathering the materials for their experiment, Xehanort was charged with the task of making copies of the discussion, the list, and getting all of that into the journals of his fellow apprentices and calculating what remained of the budget down to the last cent. Throughout the day, he was kept busy with nothing more than paper work the others decided to through at him. Occasionally, Braig's warning would come back to his mind: would he really have to choose?

He sat alone in large office of the apprentices, writing out the materials and the planned procedures in journals and logs of the others. Xehanort glanced up towards the clock and noted the time: a quarter after three. It was at that time that the door opened up with Aeleus standing in the door.

"Master Ansem wishes to see you," he said in a, shockingly, somewhat louder voice. "Hurry to the laboratory." Confused, Xehanort could not truly object to being summoned and followed after Aeleus into the laboratory where everyone was gathered.

"Xehanort, this is for you," Ansem the Wise said as he stepped forward with a folded pristine lab coat was held in his hands, offered towards the newest apprentice.

"We hereby dub thee a scientist so that thee may use the laboratory. I also say that lab coats are pretty awesome wear," Braig laughed quietly as he watched Xehanort timidly unfold the coat, only to hold it out in front of him, examining it.

"Try it on," Dilan encouraged with a sly smirk while Ansem gave a nod and folded his arms, waiting for Xehanort to do so. Finally the new apprentice slipped his arms into the coat, the fabric and creases still stiff from it being brand new.

"I-I don't know what to say," Xehanort said quietly, looking down at himself with the coat hanging on him. "Thank you."

"You're one of us now that you've got the coat," Braig said walking to stand next to Xehanort. "Wearing that coat makes that decision we were talking about earlier. Remember that," he warned quietly only to leave the room with the other apprentices following behind him. Xehanort watched the five file out of the room only to feel a firm hand fall onto his shoulder. He turned to find it was Ansem the Wise with a hand on his shoulder.

"Keep up the work. I know today was probably pretty bad, but you did your job well. Keep it up."


	4. IV: Ice Cream

Xehanort trudged away from the castle, his hands tucked into the pockets of his new lab coat. Tomorrow marked the day when the tests would begin for the flowers. Yet, what part would he be playing in the lab? Just someone who gathered everything, took all their notes for them? A quiet sigh escaped Xehanort as he shook his head.

"Up for some coffee?"

"Oh my-!" Xehanort stumbled backwards, caught completely off guard, and nearly fell down only for the woman who had spoken to catch his arm and pull him upright. "Good god woman," he said attempting to catch his breath. "Why in the world-"

"Sorry, didn't expect to scare you so badly," Naida said quickly, finally letting go of his arm seeing as he had regained his balance. "I just saw you walking along and figured I'd invite you out for some coffee."

"Is it still open?" He asked, the scare only souring his mood further.

"It's only three thirty."

"Dear god. It seemed like an eternity in there!" Xehanort growled, while rubbing the bridge of his nose. "How on earth does time do that?"

"Come on, you look like you could use some relaxation."

"Think coffee is going to offer that relaxation I need?"

"Not completely, but it might help somewhat." Xehanort shook his head.

"I don't think so. I just want to go to sleep and not wake up until the morning. "

"Oh. I see." Naida was silent as Xehanort tucked his hands into his pocket and moved down the road with a quiet sigh. "Hey."

"What's up?"

"Come on." She walked to his side quickly and tugged on his arm. "Let me show you another place. It will be fun."

"Alright," he finally replied, unable to simply say no at this point.

"There might be a slight line, but it will be worth it. Trust me." Xehanort let himself be led along by Naida and watched the café as they passed by it only to become slightly confused. Where exactly was she taking him? What had he let himself get dragged into now? "Here we are." Xehanort attempted to look at the sign as he was pulled into the store which currently had a good deal of children in it at for the time being. He was quick to finally realize where he was due to one common factor that linked the children together: the ice cream they all held. "Let me go get in line. You find a table."

He was not given much of an option as she hurried off to stand in the line with the children. Xehanort gave a quiet sigh as he found a table for the two of them though felt his lips forming a slight smirk. She was really trying, was she not?

"What a surprise!" Xehanort turned his head around and spotted Ansem the Wise standing next to him. "I did not expect to see you here at all! Looks like you're learning all of my hiding spots now," he chuckled. "But what's this? No ice cream?" Xehanort looked at Ansem holding a blue popsicle in his hand as he took one of the seats at the table.

"Actually, just none yet."

"True I suppose. There is a line."

"Well, someone's getting some for us."

"Oh my. Should I have taken this seat then?"

"I don't really know," Xehanort sighed quietly as he leaned over to look towards the line and spotted Naida getting close to the counter. "Especially after what I was told today." Ansem tilted his head only to shrug.

"Good choice to come here though. I swear, I live off this stuff more so than coffee. I would suggest the Sea Salt ice cream, but I am assuming the person buying has something in mind." Ansem rose from the chair, his smirk still worn. "Have fun."

"Thanks." Xehanort watched Ansem exit the ice cream shop only for a bar of ice cream to be held out in his face. "Sea salt?" He asked, recognizing the blue to be the same as the one of Ansem's ice cream.

"How'd you know?" Naida asked, hoping that she would be able to catch him off guard with the flavor as she sat down in the chair which Ansem had taken for a moment.

"Could smell it," he lied, giving a smile only to nibble at the corner of the bar. "Goodness! I didn't expect it to be so salty! And yet, it somehow manages to leave a somewhat sweet after taste. How strange." He looked up hearing Naida laughing.

"I think that's everyone's response when they have it for their first time. I know it was mine. I thought your face was funny, but if you would have seen mine when I first had this stuff, you would have been rolling." Xehanort laughed quietly, imagining his own facial expression when he first bit down on the ice cream.

"Yeah. I probably did look silly, didn't I?"

"Everyone does," Naida replied.

"Thanks," Xehanort finally said after the two took a couple more bites from their ice cream.

"For?"

"This."

"It was nothing! Besides, it's nice to bring someone along," Naida said, noticing a somewhat saddened look appear in Xehanort's eyes as he looked back down towards his ice cream. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said, feigning a smile for a moment. "Nothing you should have to worry about. Just, some things which were said at work today."

"I see." There was a fairly long silence between the two as Xehanort stared at his ice cream before looking up towards Naida.

"I have to ask. Why are you doing this for me?"

"Do I really need a reason to be nice?"

"No. I suppose you're right," he sighed quietly.

"Because you're a nice guy, Xehanort. You're nice to be around. I look forward to seeing you I guess. When I got off of work, I found myself wondering if I'd see you at the café." Naida watched as Xehanort looked away, seemingly loosing himself within his own thoughts. "What's wrong?" She asked again though her voice carrying a more serious tone this time.

"I – I kind of had the same thing happen today too," he admitted quietly. "One of my coworkers gave me a warning. I can't shake it but I find myself not able to really…" Xehanort trailed off and shook his head and nibble on the bar of ice cream.

"A warning?"

"It's hard to explain," he replied. "It's just, I find myself thinking of you more than other things, as strange as it may sound. You've captured my attention in such a short amount of time. My thoughts have apparently become obvious to my coworkers as one of them told me basically that having a relationship and work would be almost impossible to do. What I'm trying to say, is that I'm on the verge of asking you out and yet I have this holding me back. Yes, I understand that it's probably too soon to-" He was stopped by Naida placing a finger on his lips.

"How about…" She trailed off thinking for a moment while keeping her index finger on his lips. "Tonight at eight or so? I'll write my address down for you, and you come pick me up?"

"Pardon?"

"Well? How about it? We'll give it a shot and see if it could possibly work." Who was he to object? Xehanort finally gave a nod only to finally have a thought occur to him. Where would they go? He didn't know of any place here and had a rather limited budget for the time being until he started getting his pay from being an apprentice.

"But- Where would we go?" He finally asked. "To be honest, I haven't that much to spend until I start getting my pay."

"Well, I have a place in mind. Don't worry so much, I really don't have expensive tastes," Naida reassured as she searched her purse for a pen. She wrote on one of the napkins and slid it towards Xehanort, her address written in careful calligraphy-styled handwriting. "So. Eight, right?"

"Yeah."

"See you then."


	5. V: What Comes First

"Time to wake up!" Xehanort rolled away and hid his face from the light.

"Let me sleep." Silence filled the household again for a little while as Xehanort finally managed to get comfortable once more. He slid his hand across the bed and found that it was empty: she had already gotten up it seemed. A quiet sigh left Xehanort before he drifted back into a light sleep.

"He isn't getting up!"

"Oh, let him sleep, Theia! He had a long night at work. Now, go brush your hair and get ready to go. We need to –"

"But daddy will be late if he doesn't get up!"

"Honey, he doesn't need to get up until later. He goes into work later today, alright? Now, go brush your hair to get ready to go."

"Alright," the young girl said in a pouting manner. Xehanort let out another sigh as he attempted to get more sleep. Another hour, that was all he wanted. With the house becoming quiet once more, he felt himself slowly drifting back to sleep. However, his eyes opened once more as he felt the bed shifting somewhat with new weight on the edge. He shifted his eyes to look over his shoulder only to smile as he felt a hand running through his hair.

"Good morning," he said quietly.

"Morning. We're going to be leaving in a few, but I just wanted to check on you before we left."

"I'm fine, I just need to get a little more sleep."

"Just make sure you're home by six tonight, alright? And make sure the others come too."

"Hm?" Xehanort finally rolled over to face Naida, the eight years that had passed since their meeting barely changed her at all it seemed.

"Don't tell me you forgot," she sighed, looking down towards him, withdrawing her hand. The two paused for a moment before Xehanort's eyes widened.

"Shit," he groaned, rolling onto his back and placing both hands over his face. "I've just been…Everything has been piling up lately, days just going by. Damn it."

"The others agreed to come on over tonight," Naida said quietly. "But, get your sleep while you can-"

"I can't believe I forgot about it!" He finally forced himself to sit up in the bed. "You get going though, I don't want you two to be late," Xehanort said as he wrapped his around Naida's waist, pulling her back somewhat, only to give her a kiss.

"Momma! We're gonna get in trouble!"

"I'll see you later tonight, get some sleep while you can."

"Can't. I need to do some things," he sighed. "Get going before you get in trouble."

"Bye," Naida said quietly, pulling away from Xehanort with a smirk worn. "And remember, they all promised to come, so don't let any of them wiggle their way out."

"Are you sure you want Even here tonight? He's pretty much a party pooper."

"Get a couple of drinks in him like we did at the reception, and he won't be," Naida laughed before walking out of the room. "Alright, little Miss Theia, let's get going."

"Except I don't think he'll let us near his drinks again," Xehanort said to himself, rubbing the back of his neck. "What to do? I don't even know what to get her," he sighed as he climbed out of bed and began his usual morning ritual: shower, the dressing himself, since he was going in late today he would start the coffee, brush his hair and teeth, and be on his way.

-

"Ouch."

"I don't know what to do," Xehanort muttered as he set to writing in his journal, observing the buds on the latest plants which seemed to be doing well for their still on-going experiment. Braig shook his head as he filled cylinders with water for the plants.

"Well, I just got the little poppet a doll. Little girls like those, right?" Braig asked after he poured the water onto one plant.

"I guess, but I can't get her that if you got her one."

"True. True."

"What did the others get her, do you know?"

"Well, let's see. Uh, we got a doll, apparently a coloring book and coloring supplies, an at home lab set up?"

"Jeez, could Even be anymore predictable?"

"I don't think so," Braig chuckled as he looked over the plants carefully. They looked so fragile, as if they would wither and die at any moment, just like the last few groups had over the years. "I think Aeleus made her a little box, you know the man is good with wood carvings."

"Not bad considering he only picked up on it a few months ago."

"And Ienzo is giving her a small collection of books. We all know she enjoys books. To be expected with you and Naida, you know?" Xehanort merely shrugged.

"I think we were kind of lucky that she turned out the way she did. I mean, she's a good girl, likes reading, and curious about everything we do. She's curious about everything around her. Sure, I might get a little annoyed with her when she wakes me up like she did today; but I can live with that in the long run."

"Hey, you know more about the little runt than I do," Braig said giving a shrug. "So you should know what to get her."

"What's Ansem getting her?"

"Good question, I don't know though. The man likes to keep gift ideas and such secret, you know that."

"True. I wasn't expecting him to pay for our reception," Xehanort sighed.

"But in other news," Braig said finally changing the subject. "I think they have the next test set up for you today ready."

"What are they doing this time? I don't think that hypnosis is really doing anything-"

"Not according to them," Braig interrupted.

"They said they'd tell me everything when the first stage was completed, so whatever you heard, I guess I'll just wait to find out." Xehanort looked at his watch only to put down his log and pencil. "But I need to go for now. I'm using my break to go get her something."

"Anything in mind?" A sigh came from Xehanort as he shook his head.

"Not yet, I'll figure something out though. I'm sure when I'm down at the marketplace that I'll find something there that will just be the perfect thing."

"Later," Braig called, giving a wave towards his partner as he left the laboratory in a hurry.

Xehanort laid back on the couch as Ansem had told him to do and propped his feet up on the arm at the end and put his hands behind his head. Well, he was comfortable enough now. He stared upwards towards the ceiling and shook his head.

"Alright, I just want you to talk."

"About?"

"Anything that comes to mind. Just go ahead and let it all out." Xehanort closed his eyes as he though then finally began:

"I can't believe I forgot Theia's birthday this year." He paused for a moment and shook his head. "I mean, what kind of a father does that? Then again, how many fathers do this? How many go through hypnosis on an almost daily basis for a couple of months?" Xehanort found himself stopping for a moment, debating on if he should say the next thing which had come to mind, staring at the ceiling. "I'm starting to get nervous about all this stuff. You guys told me I'd get the results when we were done with the first stage. I don't know what's going on exactly. And then Braig is making it seem like you found something major or something's wrong. I don't know. But it's putting me on edge. What are you finding? Not to mention...certain things have been happening." Again, he paused only to remember what Ansem had said: just talk. "I've been hearing these voices – no. It's just one."

Ansem the Wise looked up from his paper and raised a brow towards Xehanort who merely gave another sigh. "It sounds like me but I know it's not. I don't even know what it's saying sometimes though, it's so strange. It keeps me up sometimes and that's what happened to me last night. I guess that's why I forgot about everything in the end. I still need to wrap her present. Are we done here?"

"I do believe we can call it a day," Ansem said giving a slow nod. "Go ahead and go wrap her present. You should have plenty of time before the party to get it done."

"Thanks," Xehanort said as he sat up and swung his legs off the couch. He sat there for a minute only to look towards Ansem. He opened his mouth somewhat as if he were going to say something, but he stopped and merely rose and left the office.

"Even," Ansem called over his shoulder causing the other apprentice to raise his head and look away from his papers. "I think we may have a slight issue beginning to rise."

-

Xehanort looked over towards Theia who was sitting at the head of their dining table, her eyes fixed on the cake before her, the fire from the candles only making her eyes look more orange. How in the world orange was the more dominate gene over blue eyes, he would never know.

"Well, Theia, you going to blow out the candles?" Naida asked, looking down towards the girl.

"I don't know what to wish for," Theia finally said looking towards her mother. "Can I save the wish for later?"

"I don't remember birthday wishes working like that," Braig muttered from the foot of the table.

"Of course, honey," Naida said smiling. "Just blow out the candles for now and make your wish later." Theia nodded and quickly attempting to blow out the candles, finally succeeding when her face became red.

"Does this mean we can have some ice cream now?" Ansem the Wise asked with a laugh.

"Let me go get everything ready-"

"While she does that, let's do the presents?" Ienzo offered from his seat.

"That sounds like a good idea to me," Dilan said with a nod. He was the first to move towards Theia with his present in hand. "Here you are. Happy birthday."

"Thank you, Mister Dilan," she said while giving a smile and accepting his present though he somewhat sighed hearing her call him mister. Here all the staff were due to them being 'family' for Xehanort and yet his child still called him 'mister'. He remained near her as he watched her unwrap his present. This process happened six more times.

"Ice cream coupons?" Theia asked looking at the thick booklet which Ansem the Wise had given her.

"Yep. So that way you and some of your friends can go get some ice cream together without having to pay. "

"That sounds like fun!" While Ansem explained how the coupons worked to Theia, Xehanort had joined his wife in the kitchen. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder silently.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You're really bad at lying."

"I was wondering what you got her," Xehanort finally admitted.

"I got her a few outfits today before the party," Naida replied as she put down the knife which she had used on the cake only to turn around to face Xehanort. "And what about you? Did you have time-"

"Everything's taken care of," he said forcing a smirk as he tilted his head down and allowed his forehead to rest on hers. "I found this place that sells charms. So I just got her a charm and a necklace for it to go on." He paused only to watch her open her mouth: "And it only cost seventy five munny."

"Only seventy five?!"

"That's the extra munny a day that Ansem has been paying me for going through the tests for the past few months."

"I wanted to talk to you about that, but later, alright? Go give Theia her present so I can serve the cake."

"You know, I kind of want a present of my own," he sighed quietly. "I barely get to be around you anymore," Xehanort continued as he pulled her closer. "What do you say?"

"Maybe when Theia's asleep," Naida said quietly. "Now go on and give her the necklace," she said finally shooing him from the kitchen.

"Daddy! Look at what Mister Ansem got me! He got me coupons so we can go get some ice cream!"

"That's great!" Xehanort said, giving her a wide smile. "That'd be something I think we should do this weekend, what do you think?"

"Yeah!"

"Did you thank him?"

"Mhmm!"

"Of course she did," Ansem laughed as he sat down in his chair. "Well, I think there's one more, isn't there Xehanort?"

"Yeah." Carefully, Xehanort reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out a small wrapped box and offered it to Theia. "This one is from me and your mother," he said as she grabbed the box and looked it over, examining for tape as she had learned that some people, such as Braig, would attempt to laminate the presents and make them nearly impossible to open. Finally, she set to peeling the paper away and revealed a small dark blue box made of cardboard, consisting of nothing more than a top and a bottom.

Theia removed the top and found herself staring at a silver charm in the shape of a heart with small flourishes at the base of it, the normal point of the heart with two leaf shaped points – one on each side. She pulled the charm from the box and ultimately pulled the entire necklace out. The young girl simply stared at the necklace in a state of awe.

"Wow," she muttered. "That's so . . . Cool. Thanks Dad!" She rushed forward a couple of steps and wrapped her arms around him. "It's so pretty! I'll wear it all the time!"

"You're welcome-"

"Alright! Who's ready for some cake and ice cream?" Naida asked as she walked out with the cut up cake and the gallon tub of ice cream. "Because we've got plenty of both and don't really want left overs!"

It was a couple of more hours before the house became still and quiet with the other apprentices and Ansem the Wise having left and Theia having gone to bed, leaving Xehanort and Naida on the couch in the living room. Naida rested her head on Xehanort's chest, staring towards the coffee table in front of the couch while he slowly ran his hand through her hair, stroking her head carefully.

"I don't want you to do those tests anymore," she finally said, breaking the silence. "What if you remember everything and you have someone else to go back to? What if you had another family you had forgotten about?" Xehanort was silent for a moment only to give a soft sigh.

"Is that what has been bothering you?"

"Kind of."

"Listen, even if I did indeed have another family, guess what? They aren't here now. I have you and Theia, that's all that matters. Alright. I won't leave you guys. You've nothing to be worried about." He paused for a moment and closed his eyes. "Memories suppressed by emotional trauma ultimately leading to darkness in the heart," he said quietly. "The idea itself kind of frightens me. Here I am living a normal life yet, apparently there's darkness in my heart? If such a thing is in my heart, what will happen if it comes forth?"

"See, that's another good reason to stop these tests."

"But, I can't let Ansem and the others down, you know this. Besides, it may be frightening to a degree, but it also is making me extremely curious. But know that if things start getting too out of hand, that I will put a stop to things because you and Theia come first. Alright?" Naida gave a nod only to feel Xehanort move to get up, causing her to pick her head up off of him. He turned and stared down the hallway for a moment before leaning back over towards Naida and pulling her up and off the couch. She laced her fingers with his and pulled him along with her, walking towards their room. It was at that time that Xehanort finally heard and understood the first sentences from the whispers though he pushed them aside and completely ignored them:

'_Then they must be the first to go.'_


	6. VI: The Reports

The metal grating that made the floor of the laboratory, which had been constructed under the castle of Radiant Gardens, rattled with every step Xehanort took as he wandered the laboratory, a hand on his head. Things had only become worse as time had gone on from the birthday of his daughter. The whispering became more and more frequent and there were times where he apparently blacked out while sitting at a desk or while doing tasks at work. It seemed not too long ago had been another one of his momentary black outs as he could hardly recall anything from the past half an hour or so. What could he remember?

Ansem the Wise had finally deemed that the experiments needed to be stopped earlier in the day due to the growing number of the Heartless, as that was apparently what Ansem had dubbed them in one of his rather…odd reports. His name was signed at the bottom of it and yet the wording did not seem to resemble Ansem's tone or his writing style, and Xehanort's condition had been the second reason for Ansem wanting to stop the experiments. But afterwards, Xehanort could only recall he went downstairs with those odd whisperings telling him to watch the Heartless: something was bound to happen with them. But as soon as he went downstairs there had been a pain in his head and – and now he was wondering around with another paper in his other hand.

He finally took his hand off his head as he leaned against a wall and set to reading the paper:

'_To study the Heartless' behavior, I picked one out for observation. It wiggled its antennae and, as if it were sensing a target, headed deep into the castle. In the deepest part of the castle, its antennae began vibrating, as if the Heartless were searching for something. Suddenly, a strange door appeared on the wall – I'd never known of its existence without the Heartless. It had a large keyhole, but didn't seem to be locked. So I opened the door. What I saw on the other side mystified me – what was that powerful mass of energy?!'_

What on earth was going on? Where had this come from? Xehanort looked over the paper again and at the bottom found Ansem's name written once again. But no – why would Ansem write such a thing when he had told them to stop the experiments? Xehanort shook his head once again. He was so confused.

'_It was a sight to behold. A shame you could not see it for yourself.'_

"What?" Xehanort's eyes widened as the voice came back into his mind with a chilling echo following it as it always had. "What are you talking about?" He was left in silence, no reply once so ever from whatever it was that spoke to him. "I can't handle this anymore," Xehanort sighed quietly as he started through the lab and heading towards the exit. "Maybe Naida was right – I should have stopped this a while ago."

'_Losing this battle already?'_

"Shut up!"

"Xehanort?" A familiar voice called through the dim laboratory, causing Xehanort to raise his head. "What are ya doing down here all alone?"" Braig climbed down the stairs quickly only to catch Xehanort as he stumbled once again. "You aren't looking so good," he said quietly while his fellow apprentice forced himself to stand upright.

"I – I just need to rest. That's all," Xehanort said brushing Braig aside.

"What were you doing down here?" Xehanort was quiet for a moment as he started up the stairs to leave behind the laboratory. He would not tell him the truth, that he did not truly know.

"Making sure things weren't getting out of hand. Those things down there – we know how fast they can multiply. I mean – we started off with one and now we have nearly ten down there." Braig nodded slowly towards Xehanort.

"Go get some rest. Call in tomorrow if you need to," Braig said quietly as he followed Xehanort up the stairs and into Ansem's office which was dark other than the dim blue lights coming from the large glass containers which held that which the Heartless desired so much: hearts.

"I…" Xehanort trailed off, debating on what he should actually do. "I'll consider it," he finally said as they walked down the hallway with Braig at his side.

"Alright. Well – I'm out-"

"Why were you down there?"

"Looking for you," Braig said giving a shrug. "We couldn't find you, so I went down there," he said only to give a way over his shoulder as he approached the door. He grabbed a hold of his coat off the coat rack and threw it on in one fluid motion. "Later." Xehanort shivered somewhat as Braig opened and closed the door, letting the cold air from outside flood the hall for a brief moment. He stood in the silent hall for a moment, glancing over his shoulder towards Ansem's office before shaking his head: he needed to get out of here for a little while. He finally started down the hall and took hold of his coat and scarf and wrapped himself up rather tightly before setting out.

Once outside, Xehanort found himself looking upwards towards the clear sky, the stars above shimmering like they always did every night. He let out a quiet sigh, his breath becoming visible once it escaped him only to fade away after a brief moment. He would go home, eat, and go to sleep. It was the best option with how he was feeling at the moment. Xehanort nodded to himself as he tucked his hands away into the pockets of his jacket, attempting to keep them as warm as best as he could. He finally rounded the corner and began walking down the street where his house was only to see the front light of his home come on and the front door being opened quickly.

Before he had a chance to brace himself, Theia rushed out of the house and ran towards him as fast as her legs could carry her and ran into him, embracing him in a hug.

"Dad's home, Mom!" Theia called over her shoulder. "Come on dinner's gonna get cold-" She stopped suddenly and lifted her head upwards causing Xehanort to raise a brow and follow her line of sight upwards. "A shooting star- a bunch of shooting stars! Look Dad!"

"I see," he said quietly as he watched the shooting stars leave a trail across the sky. "It's a meteor shower." Xehanort felt his fist suddenly clench and realized he still had the paper which he had placed in his pocket.

"Make a wish!"

'_To be free.'_

"Dad?" Xehanort raised a hand and held his head with it. Slowly he pushed Theia back with his other hand.

"Sorry, Theia. Dad just needs to go rest," Xehanort said quietly as he watched the sky before entering the house. "Naida," he called as he walked in while Theia stayed outside to watch the meteor shower.

"Welcome home-"

"I'm going to bed-"

"Without eating?"

"Yeah," Xehanort sighed as he walked towards the bedroom. "Good night." He closed his door behind him though that was the last he recalled until the buzzing of his alarm clock woke him from his sleep. When he opened his eyes he found himself with his head on his desk and the paper under his arms with a new addition on it. He focused his eyes and finally made out the last couple of sentences which seemed to have been written after he had read it the previous night:

'_That night I observed a great meteor shower in the night sky. Could it have been related to the door that I opened?'_

"No," Xehanort muttered as he looked at the paper. He lifted it up and found another paper under it:

'_A massive core of energy lay beyond the door sought by the Heartless. It may be the ultimate goal of the Heartless. But what is that energy? I have devised a hypothesis based upon my observations of the Heartless as of late.  
I've come to realize the Heartless feed on the hearts of others and that they yearn for that energy core – why else would it have led me to it? That thing beyond the door must also be a heart – the heart of the world perhaps! There is no proof, but, having felt that immense energy, I am certain. I am certain that was the heart of the world!  
The Heartless are trying to take hearts not only from all living creatures, but from the planet itself. I wonder…What do they mean to do with the heart of the world? – Ansem'_

"What the hell is going on?!"

"Xehanort?" Naida called tiredly as she rolled over in the bed

"No-Nothing. It's nothing," he said hurriedly as he rose from the chair of his desk. "I just need to get ready for work."

"Be careful," Naida sighed quietly as she closed her eyes and attempted to go back to sleep as she always did on the weekends when he got up to go to work. His daily routine was rushed and Xehanort hurried out the door, papers in hand. He stopped once outside and studied the two. Now that he looked at them more so he could see that it was certainly not Ansem the Wise's handwriting though it was similar. Had he truly been writing these papers?

"What have I done?"

"Dad?" Xehanort looked towards his right where he saw Theia sitting on the porch near him. "Look what I found!" She pointed in front of her where a red square measuring about three inches all the way around sat with smaller different colored squares around it. "It was in the street when I got up this morning."

"Theia, I have other things to take care of-"

"It's all squishy, touch it!" Before he could make a move, his daughter had leapt to her feet and forced a few of the cubes into his hands. They had some weight behind them, the surface feeling solid yet sticky to a degree. When he opened his hands and looked down at what had once been several cubes had formed a larger purple cube. "And they stick together too! They're so much fun!"

Xehanort stared down at the cube in hand before shaking his head:

"That's great, Theia. But I need to go to work now," he sighed, unsure of how he was going to handle what he had discovered just a few moments ago.

"Take them with you," she sang as she sat back down, almost sitting on her scarf as she did so. "Use them to squeeze when you're angry!"

"Good bye. Behave," Xehanort sighed, forcing a smile as he stepped off the porch and headed towards the castle.

-

"I don't want you guys going down there," Ansem said quietly to all of his apprentices gathered at the table. "These experiments are done, do you understand? I wish I need not to go any further with this," he said with a depressed tone in his voice. "Now then, what about that meteor shower last night?"

"It was completely unpredicted," Ienzo said solemnly. "There was no evident reason for it."

"My daughter collected samples that I'm assuming fell from the sky-"

"You actually let her touch that stuff?!" Even exclaimed shaking his head. "Who knows if that stuff is toxic to living animals?!"

"Well, I'm not dead yet," Xehanort sighed giving a slight shrug. "But I think the material might be worth investigating. Perhaps it could be useful to us? It's a sturdy material that seems to form a chemical bond with itself but other than that, it's fairly sturdy. It could be a useful building material or something along those lines."

"I was thinking along the same lines," Ansem said giving a nod towards Xehanort. "I think it's an interesting material to study. Let's get to it, gentlemen."

As the day progressed and the analysis of the gummy material continued, a lone topic weighed heavily on Xehanort's mind: How was he going to deal with the fact that he was somehow forging reports under the name of Ansem the Wise? He hardly understood the issue himself. Was it the fact that this other voice -The whispering? – was managing to take control of him? It seemed so.

And his theory seemed to only be proved correct as he later found himself staring at yet another report with Ansem's name on it by the end of the night:

'_I am studying material from the meteors that rained down that fateful night. What a find! The material is foreign to our world. It is elastic to the touch, and when two pieces are combined, they bond easily. None of the records even mention such a substance. Was it introduced to this world when I opened the door that I found? I wonder how many other such materials drift through the atmosphere of this tiny world. How I wish I could soar off and find out! Could there be uncharted worlds out there? Beyond this world? My curiosity never ceases to grow!  
But…I should stop speaking of such unrealistic dreams. For now, there is now way to venture beyond this world. We are all but prisoners of this tiny place.'_

"What…have I done?" Xehanort muttered quietly.


End file.
